Rita's Revenge
by Ghostwriter
Summary: HISB Katherine overhears Rita's latest plot to destroy the Rangers.  Can she and the rest of the Rangers save one of their own in time?
1. Good Rangers And Evil Plans

RITA'S REVENGE

AUTHOR'S NOTE/DISCLAIMER

Okay, as you can see, I'm doing a little jumping around. This is a retooling of "Rita's Pita". After this, I'll be going back to "A Brush With Destiny" and then following the eps from there. Power Rangers belongs to Haim Saban and Nickelodeon. I only own the subplots. I'm going to try to add in Justin, Hilary, Chris, Tina, Zane, Curtis, Angela, and Richie as much as possible, but there may be some eps where one or more of them may not appear.

In the Command Center, Alpha was running diagnostics on the Green and White energies, which they had gathered from Tommy during previous fights. The robot frowned.

"Have you made any progress, Alpha?" Zordon queried.

"Some, but not as much as I had hoped, Zordon. I still can't get the two energies to mesh for more than a few seconds without canceling each other out," Alpha answered. He pressed a few buttons on the console, and green light rose in the air followed by white light. They came together. Zordon and Alpha watched as the two colors intermingled. The robot tensed. Would it work? The two colors continued to wrap themselves around each other.

"Zordon, it's holding!" Alpha cried excitedly. As soon as he had finished the sentence, both colors disappeared.

"Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi-yi-yi! We almost had it!"

"Keep trying." With a sigh, Alpha did as he was told. At the Angel Grove Gym and Juice Bar, Tommy was practicing with one of his students, a boy named Danny. The boy let out a kick to Tommy's side.

"That's very good, Danny, but remember to keep your leg as straight as possible so that you have as much power as possible when you kick."

"Yes, Sensei." He performed the kick again.

"Very good. Now let's try the kata from the beginning." While this was going on, Aisha, Zack, and Rocky were watching them.

"Tommy is **really** into teaching," Aisha commented. "I mean, he's got a full load with the classes he co-teaches with Jason and he **still** takes on private students," she continued.

"Yeah, and it's really cool how Danny and the other kids look up to him," Rocky agreed.

"It's important for kids to have a positive role model in their lives," Zack stated. Ernie walked up to Tommy and Danny as they finished.

"Hey, you guys have been at it for a while. You must be ready for a snack break," he said.

"Well, now that you mention it, I **am** getting kinda hungry," Tommy admitted. "Can I have a Veggie Pita and a Kiwi Fruit-White Peaches Smoothie?"

"Sure thing," Ernie answered. "How 'bout you, Danny?"

"Uh, I'll have a double cheeseburger, fries, and a shake."

"Remember Danny, there's nothing wrong with junk food, but only in moderation. After all, what goes into your body makes a big difference in how you feel physically and mentally. If you treat it with respect, you'll never regret it."

"Yes, Sensei." The boy turned to gym's owner. "Ernie, could I get the pita and smoothie too?"

"You got it." The man went back behind his counter, where he gave the orders to Richie, who helped him prepare the meals as Tommy and Danny began practicing again. They were unaware that they were being spied on from the moon.

"OOOOH! HE AND KATHERINE USED TO BE **SO** EVIL!" Rita screeched. _I'll have to remember to turn them back before taking over the world_, she thought to herself. "I'VE JUST ABOUT HAD IT WITH HIM AND THE REST OF THOSE RANGERS!"

"Agreed. I'd love nothing more than to take him down a peg. Him or one of the other Power Rangers. They're all the same," Zedd said.

"But how?" Goldar wondered.

"It's simple, Goldar! Finster's working on a monster that can do just that!" Rita said. "FINSTER! Get in here now!" The dog-eared monster hurried out of his laboratory as soon as he heard his Empress screeching for him.

"Yes, Your Royal Rottenness?"

"How's that monster coming along? You know, the one that you've been working on?"

"It's almost finished. After all, for this to work, he has to be properly equipped."

"Well, get to it!"

"Right away!" He hurried back to the lab.

"That's what I like about Empress," Goldar said to Scorpina.

"That she's a real people person?" Scorpina asked.

"Precisely," Goldar confirmed. They laughed together.

"I have to admit, Tommy is right about **one** thing: what you put into your body **is** important. And those Rangers are about to get a special Pita from Rita!" She cackled in delight, her minions' voices joining hers.


	2. Plan And Side Effect

DISCLAIMER

Power Rangers belongs to Haim Saban and Nickelodeon. I only own the subplots. Bold is telepathic speak.

Billy, Katherine, Adam, and Trini walked through the streets of Angel Grove.

"So Katherine, I hope that all of these changes that are going on in your life aren't too overwhelming for you," Billy stated.

"Well, it **is** a lot to learn," Katherine admitted. "And I'm still a little nervous about the communicator going off."

"I can remember how **that** felt," Adam recalled with a small laugh.

"I just don't want to let you guys down…especially Jason," Katherine continued.

"Well don't worry about it. You're going to be great," Trini assured, wrapping an arm around her friend's shoulder. Katherine smiled at her. _I'm so lucky that they've been so patient with me_, she thought to herself.

"You're right," Katherine agreed. "Well, I better get home."

"Would you like some company?" Trini offered.

"That'd be great, thanks," Katherine grinned. "See ya later, guys."

"Bye." Katherine and Trini walked off as Adam and Billy headed for the youth center. Back inside the youth center, Jason, Bulk, and Skull were sitting at a table.

"Service!" Skull shouted. "I am starving!" he called, as the trio looked at their menus.

"You know, that's not going to make Richie or Ernie come any faster," Jason said. All three of them were wearing their Angel Grove Junior Police Patrol uniform which consisted of a white t-shirt, a pale blue jacket, and dark blue pants. Richie came up.

"What'll it be, gentlemen?" he asked.

"Well, I'm not feeling too hungry so I'll just have a tall Cherry Smoothie," Jason answered.

"And I'll have a double cheeseburger, fries, and a shake," Bulk answered.

"And I'll take the Indigestion Inducer," Skull announced. Richie, Bulk, and Jason stared at him.

"You sure you want that?" Richie queried.

"You're insane, man. Don't do it," Bulk advised.

"Listen to him, Skull. I mean, if even **Bulk** won't even eat it, that's gotta say **somethin**'," Jason added. Then, "No offense."

"Oh, none taken."

"Bring it on." Richie took the menus and walked away as Billy and Adam walked in and instantly went to the weight machines.

"Good heavens, man. Do you realize what you've done?" Bulk questioned. Tommy and Danny walked up to Zack, Rocky, and Aisha's table.

"Hey, what's up, guys?" Tommy asked as the two sat down. Richie came out with Jason, Bulk, and Skull's orders and placed the trays in front of the boys.

"Oh, my gosh. Skull's really going to eat all of that?" Aisha gasped.

"Well, **there**'**s** a good way not to treat your body," Danny said.

"That sure as heck isn't moderation," Zack agreed.

"This coming from the guy who once ate the biggest bowl of ice cream I've ever seen," Tommy snickered.

"Then you obviously haven't seen Rocky eat," Aisha quipped.

"Hey!" Rocky protested. His friends laughed. Skull prepared to take the first bite of his lunch. On the moon, Finster walked into the front of the palace, a monster at his side.

"Empress Rita, Lord Zedd, I proudly present to you, the De-Energizer," he pronounced. The monster was red with a black body. "He can drain the life out of anybody or anything," he continued.

"The De-Energizer? Didn't we use him on the planet Ponterack about thirty thousand years ago?" Scorpina queried.

"That we did," Finster confirmed.

"That thing can take a person's life-force? Cool," Rito said.

"Ooooh! The Rangers are in for it now," Baboo celebrated.

"Yeah, they won't know what hit them," Squatt added.

"I'll admit that he's a very good-looking monster," Zedd began. "But how can we use him to destroy the Rangers?" Laughing, Rita pointed her staff at the monster and shrunk it. Then, she walked to the spot the monster was in and picked it up.

"Let's just say it's an inside job," she answered. "Once Jason swallows him, the De-energizer will be able to drain Jason's energy and destroy him. Then, we'll have him transfer to the others and repeat the process."

"I love it!" Zedd stated. Katherine and Trini continued down the street towards Katherine's house. **Attack the Red Ranger from the inside out. Attack the Red Ranger from the inside out. Attack. Attack**, Katherine suddenly heard Rita's voice say.

"Oh, no!" Katherine gasped. _Inside out? What does she mean?_ she wondered.

"What is it?" Trini asked.

"Jason's in trouble," Katherine answered.

"Come on," Trini said and they turned around. On the moon, Zedd was spying on Earth when he heard the conversation.

"Rita, my little Poodle Danish, come here. We've seemed to have hit a little snag in your plan," he warned.

"What's going on?" she wondered anxiously. _No! I can't let anything get in the way of destroying the Rangers!_ she thought to herself.

"Your former flunky is on to us," he replied.

"FINSTER! FINSTER!"

"Yes, my reason for existing. What can I do for you?"

"Why is Kat still picking up my thoughts?"

"There may still be some side effects from the spell we placed on her."

"Now no evil plan is safe from that goody-two shoes."

"Send down my Putties!" It was done. Trini and Katherine gasped.

"Oh no! Putties!" Katherine exclaimed.

"They're Rita's. You're just going to have to wear them down until they disappear," Trini told her.

"Right," Katherine nodded. The two high-fived sharing power and went to work. _All right. Just stay calm, Katherine. You can do this_, the Australian girl said to herself. Two Putties came at her and Katherine quickly jumped out of the way. Then, she let out a kick, knocking one of the clay creatures back. With Martial Arts yells, Trini leaped through the air, dodging a hit, and then landing, she let out a leg sweep. Katherine kicked and punched, letting her long legs work to her advantage. Presently, the clay creatures disappeared. Katherine blew out a breath.

"That was amazing! I can't believe I actually did it," she admitted.

"You were morphinominal," her friend told her.

"Jason! We've got to get to him!" They quickened their pace and headed for the youth center. Inside the youth center, Bulk and Jason had finished their meals and were watching Skull in disbelief as he continued eating as Tommy, Danny, Zack, Rocky, and Aisha ate their own meals. Unnoticed by any of them, the monster appeared on the table. He gave a low chuckle. _Hope you're ready Red Ranger, because this marks the end of you and your pathetic Power Pals_, he thought with a smirk as he transported himself into Jason's drink. The monster laughed. Jason took a large gulp of his drink. Then, he moaned and put a hand to his head.

"Hey, you all right?" Bulk asked.

"Yeah. I'm-I'm fine. I think I just drank it too fast," he replied. "Come on. We don't wanna be for our shift at the Junior Police Patrol Bake Sale," he continued, standing up.

"Oh, yeah. Dessert," Skull grinned. He and Bulk followed Jason as they began whispering.

"Whatever you guys are planning, don't." They exited the juice bar. A few minutes later, Trini and Katherine came running in.

"Whoa, what's wrong?" Zack asked, seeing their expressions. Katherine and Trini motioned the Rangers forward.

"Danny, excuse us for a second," Tommy said as he, Zack, Aisha, Rocky, Adam, and Billy approached them. "What's going on, Kat?"

"I think I just felt that side effect from Rita's spell that Zordon was talking about," Katherine said softly.

"What do you mean?" Tommy asked.

"I just heard Rita's voice saying that she planned to attack Jason from the inside out," Katherine replied. _They could be doing anything to him! They could've planted a spell, or a potion, or anything inside of him!_ she thought anxiously.

"Inside out?" the others asked.

"I think we better get to the Command Center," Tommy declared. The others nodded in agreement and they went to the exit.

"Kim, meet us at the Command Center. Something's come up," Tommy instructed.

"On my way," Kimberly answered. They teleported in streams of light.

"Zordon, we think there might be something wrong with Jason," Tommy reported.

"Yeah, I heard Rita say that she was going to attack him from the inside," Katherine added. Just then, the monster alarm.

"Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi-yi-yi! The alarm!" Alpha exclaimed. The Rangers looked at the viewing globe.

"But that's just Jason," Zack said in confusion.

"Yeah, he's on assignment with Bulk and Skull," Kimberly stated.

"Set the globe on x-ray magnification," Zordon instructed. Alpha did so, and to everyone's surprise, and horror, there was a monster inside of him! The De-Energizer cackled and placed a hand on Jason's side and they saw a spark of energy seep into the monster.

"Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi-yi! The De-Energizer! I haven't seen him in over thirty thousand years!" Alpha exclaimed.

"This is indeed troubling. The De-Energizer is able to drain the life-force from any thing or any one that he touches," Zordon told them.

"Oh! It's worse than I imagined!" Katherine gasped.

"But how did he get inside him?" Trini wondered.

"Rita and Zedd must've shrunk him so that he would be ingested," Billy replied.

"You are correct, Billy," Zordon declared.

"Zordon, can you teleport him here so we can help him?" Adam requested.

"I'm sorry, Rangers, but in his present state, I cannot allow Jason inside the Command Center," Zordon replied.

"But, why Zordon? He needs our help," Katherine said. _I don't understand. Why can't we just teleport him here?_ she wondered.

"We understand how you feel, Kat, but if we were to teleport Jason here, we'd also be admitting one of Rita and Zedd's monsters," Kimberly explained.

"Which may also be part of their strategy: smuggle a monster inside here and let it create a vast amount of damage," Billy surmised.

"And Jason wouldn't want us to put the Command Center in danger," Tommy added.

"But we can't just let that monster stay inside of him," Katherine protested glumly.

"And we won't. We'll figure out a way to get it out," Rocky assured, putting his hand on her arm.

"Zordon, should we go back and see if we can help Jason?" Zack asked.

"Yes, Zack. He must be made aware of the situation so that he can at least fight against De-Energizer's attacks," Zordon replied. "For, if the De-Energizer's not expelled from Jason's body soon, he will ultimately perish."


	3. Monster Extraction

DISCLAIMER

Power Rangers belongs to Haim Saban and Nickelodeon. I only own the subplots.

The Rangers teleported out of the Command Center and headed for Angel Grove High. Inside the high school, Jason, Bulk, and Skull stood in front of a table.

"Jase, are you **sure** you're feelin' all right?" Skull checked. "I mean, you're lookin' a little pasty here."

"I'm fine," Jason answered. Just then, an African-American woman walked up to the table.

"Excuse me. What kind of pie is this?" she queried, pointing to a pie with a yellow crust.

"It's lemon custard," Jason answered.

"But personally, I'd get the vanilla-chocolate pudding," Skull recommended.

"I'll take the lemon custard," she said. She handed over the money, took the cake, and then walked off. Soon, they were swamped with customers. Justin, Hilary, Zane, Tina, Chris, Angela, Curtis, and Richie came up.

"Hey, Richie. You takin' a break?" Jason asked.

"Yep," Richie nodded. He and the others perused the table. Just then, the other Rangers approached.

"Hey, what's up, guys?" Jason wondered. Then, he groaned and swayed.

"Jason!" Bulk and Skull quickly steadied him.

"That's what we came to talk to you about, Bro," Tommy told him.

"What's going on?" Jason questioned.

"Well, Trini and I were heading to my house when I heard Rita say that she was going to attack you from the inside out," Katherine answered.

"What do you mean?" Jason asked.

"Jason, she and Zedd shrunk a monster and you ingested him," Katherine answered.

"What?" Jason asked. _That'd explain why I've been feeling so weird_, he thought to himself.

"And we can't bring you to the Command Center because it would put it in danger," Kimberly added.

"Well, there's gotta be a way to lure it out, right?" Hilary questioned.

"Well, Alpha referred to the monster as the De-Energizer, stating that it had the ability to drain your life-force, so if we had a way to make it vacate your physical body, perhaps we could destroy it, thus negating any existing damage it's already caused," Billy surmised.

"You mean if we force it out, we can reverse whatever effect it's having on Jason?" Adam asked.

"Precisely," Billy confirmed. Everyone frowned thoughtfully.

"I think I know a way to do that," Adam said. "Let's get to the park, hurry!"

"But I'm on assignment! I can't-" Jason began to object.

"Go. We'll cover for you," Bulk interrupted. The Rangers all went to the park.

"Look, what I'm going to try may hurt, so if you don't want to-" Adam started to say.

"Bro, I don't care if you have to perform a lobotomy, I want the monster out," Jason interrupted.

"Okay, then," Adam said and grabbed Jason's hand. "I'm going to focus on your chi," he stated. Then, he closed his eyes and concentrated. Jason let out a small grunt. De-Energizer was busy draining Jason of his energy when he felt something press against him.

"HEY! What gives?" he wondered and increased the pressure on the Ranger. No one was going to force **him** out! There was a rumble and the monster could feel himself being pushed up the Ranger's body. _Oh, great. I guess the jig is up_, he thought to himself. With a cry, he popped out of Jason's mouth.


	4. Energy Fight

DISCLAIMER

Power Rangers belongs to Haim Saban and Nickelodeon. I only own the subplots.

"Oh, brother! Could you use a breath mint!" the monster shouted.

"It's morphin' time!" Jason shouted.

"Dragonzord!"

"Raptor!"

"Drago!"

"Stega!"

"Brachio!"

"Mastodon!"

"Pterodactyl!"

"Triceratops!"

"Saber-toothed Tiger!"

"Tyrannosaurus!" Once they were all morphed, they attacked De-Energizer from all sides, causing the monster to stagger. _I still can't believe that I'm a Power Ranger_, the Brown Ranger thought to herself. The monster knocked them all back, and they pulled out their weapons. De-Energizer grabbed the Brown Ranger, who groaned as she felt her life being drained.

"Kat, hold on!" the Red Ranger exclaimed and with a martial arts yell, flipped through the air, and struck the monster with his Power Sword. Then, the Brown Ranger pulled out her weapon: a large stick.

"Cool. Bo staff," the Gold Ranger commented. The Brown Ranger lunged at the monster, striking it. The creature yelled as brown energy enveloped it and then sparks flew from the monster. _That's kinda cool_, the Silver Ranger thought as he attacked with his Drago Sword. The monster barely had time to defend himself as one-by-one, the Rangers leaped at him, striking with punches, kicks, and their weapons. However, with a roar, he lashed out at them and then enveloped them all with electrical energy. They groaned as they fell to the ground and felt themselves getting weaker and weaker. Summoning her strength, the Brown Ranger began twirling her Bo Staff. Slowly at first, but she ultimately found herself spinning it faster and faster, a feat that amazed her since she had never used such a weapon before. A high-pitched whistling was soon heard and the monster covered his ears.

"Stop it! You're hurting my ears!" The Brown Ranger continued her actions until sparks flew from the monster and the Rangers were able to rise to their feet.

"Come on! Let's put 'em together!" the Red Ranger shouted and the Black, Pink, Blue, Yellow, and Red Rangers combined their weapons to create the Power Blaster. Then, the Green, Silver, Gold, Purple, and Brown Rangers put their weapons on top of the Power Blaster and they all fired.

"Oh, no you don't!" Rita shouted. She and Zedd put their staffs together.

"Make our monster grow!" they shouted together. With a roar, De-Energizer grew to new heights, and the Power Blaster's energy beam bounced off of him.

"We need the Power of Thunder!"

"Raptor Thunderzord Power!"

"Mastodon-Lion Thunderzord Power!"

"Pterodactyl-Firebird Thunderzord Power!"

"Drago Thunderzord Power!"

"Stega Thunderzord Power!"

"Brachio Thunderzord Power!"

"Triceratops-Unicorn Thunderzord Power!"

"Saber-toothed Tiger-Griffin Thunderzord Power!"

"Tyrannosaurus-Red Dragon Thunderzord Power!" As the other Rangers called for their zords, the Green Ranger put his flute to his lips and summoned the Dragonzord. Once the zords were there, all of them except for the Green Ranger, jumped into the machines. He instead jumped onto the shoulder of his zord and played a tune on his dagger. De-Energizer roared and threw a bolt of energy at the Red Dragon Thunderzord, which resulted in the other zords launching their own attacks at the monster.

"Rangers, bring 'em together!" At the Red Ranger's command, the zords transformed into the Thundermegazord.

"Two zords, huh? Well, that won't save you!" De-Energizer taunted and then fired on the Thundermegazord. An attack that he repeated numerous times. The Green Ranger used De-Energizer's distraction to grab him from behind.

"NOW!" The Rangers brought out the Thunder Saber and struck the monster in the heart, causing the creature to disintegrate. The Rangers cheered.

"Wow! That was amazing! I can't believe it!" the Brown Ranger exclaimed.

"I remember how that felt," the Pink Ranger commented and the Red Ranger nodded in agreement. On the moon, Rita and Zedd fumed.

"I can't believe this! Attack the Red Ranger from the inside out! What a dumb idea!" Zedd yelled.

"Hey! It almost worked!" Rita snapped.

"Oh, leave me alone! I'm going to lie down! Your failures tire me," Zedd growled, and then went into his Chamber Of Command.

"Yes, it's working!" Scorpina cheered.

"Soon, you will reclaim your rightful place as the Empress of the Universe," Goldar boasted. Everyone laughed. Back on Earth, the Rangers and their friends were at the youth center. Tommy was talking with Danny who was playing a video game, while the others were sitting at a table.

"I saved the world from Rita and Zedd. Wow," Katherine breathed softly.

"I know. It's always a rush," Kimberly said in the same tone. At their own table, Jason, Bulk, Aisha, and Skull were also talking.

"So, the rest of the bake sale went okay?" Jason asked.

"Yeah, we sold everything," Bulk answered.

"Hey, that's great. I'll bet Lt. Stone will be really proud," Aisha stated. She leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "And so am I," she told them.

"Look, I'm really sorry I bailed on you guys," Jason apologized.

"No, you were doing your thing. We understand that," Skull assured.

"Still, it's not right," Jason insisted. "I think it's time we found a new Red Ranger," he continued.

"What?" they chorused, barely remembering to keep their voices down.

"Jason, you can't just quit," Aisha told him.

"One or the other is going to have to go. And I **really** want to continue with the Junior Police Patrol," Jason told them. "Look, I'll talk to Zordon soon and I'm sure we can find a suitable candidate to be the Red Ranger," he assured them. The other three nodded. Then, Lt. Stone came up to them.

"So, how'd it go today at the bake sale, gentlemen?" he questioned.

"Very well, Sir. We sold everything," Bulk answered.

"Oh, that's-that's wonderful," Lt. Stone said in surprise. He hadn't thought they'd be able to do it.

"And here are the profits," Bulk continued, taking out the proceeds as well as a little extra and handed the money to the man. He counted the money.

"Bulkmeir, there's a little more than I expected," he said.

"Well, you said you were giving the proceeds to the elderly home, and I put in some of my own money," came the explanation.

"Oh." Skull and Jason also take out some money and gave it to their commanding officer.

"Thank you, boys. This is greatly appreciated." The man grinned. "How about a nice, gooey sundae?" he continued, placing the dessert on the table.

"Oh, no. Lieutenant, we couldn't-" Jason began to say.

"It's on me. I made it myself. Just for you three," Lt. Stone interrupted.

"Well, when you put it that way," Skull said.

"Hey, Ernie! Could we get three spoons?" Bulk asked.

"Actually, make it four," Skull added.

"Sure thing!" Ernie replied and brought out the utensils.

"Sit down, Lt. Have a bite," Skull invited.

"Are you sure?" Lt. Stone questioned.

"Yeah," the teens answered. The man got himself a chair and they all began to eat.

THE END

AUTHOR'S NOTE

I got the idea of the stick whistling from MMPR: The Movie, so that belongs to Haim Saban and Fox Kids.


End file.
